Epilogue
Death
There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven;
A time for giving birth,
A time for dying;
A time for planting,
A time for uprooting what has been planted.
A time for killing,
A time for healing;
A time for knocking down,
A time for building.
A time for tears
A time for laughter
A time for mourning
A time for dancing
A time for throwing stones away,
A time for gathering them;
A time for embracing,
A time to refrain from embracing.
A time for searching ,
A time for losing;
A time for keeping,
A dime for discarding.
A time for tearing,
A time for sewing;
A time to keep silent,
A time for speaking.
A time for loving
A time for hating
A time for war,
A time for peace
Ecclesiastes 1-9
SARA
It always seems a little colder after someone dies, like maybe their heat kept the planet just a fraction warmer.
I stood far away from the grave when they buried Angel. There was no priest, but that was good, because Angel had never been religious like that. A priest wouldn't have known her, anyway. He wouldn't have known what to say. Collins gave her eulogy, he quoted from the bible;
'the fool folds his arms
and eats his own flesh away.
Better one hand full of repose
Than two hands full of achievements
To chase after the wind'
That was Angel alright, she never cared about how much she got, she care about helping us. She made mistakes, we all make mistakes, but even when she left us to get well she wasn't just doing it for herself. She helped Sids too, because after she left he quit junk cold turkey. I did too, because of Harmony. But I wouldn't have been able to do it without Sids to help me. I know I wouldn't have been able to. So many times Angel saved us, and never did she ask for anything in return. She didn't want to be famous, she didn't want the world to know her name. All our Angel wanted was love. In a way Collins' quote does not ring true for Angel, she had her handful of repose, love, good deeds, but she also had bucket loads of achievements, she loved so many, she helped so many. If that's not an achievement I don't know what is.
After the funeral was over. After they'd all finished their bickering and left, I walked across the grass, stiff with frost, and sat by her grave. I wanted to do something for her, I wanted to sing or read her a poem or even give her flowers. But I hadn't thought to bring flowers or poetry and I can't sing to save my life.
"Sara?"
"You always seem to find me, Mark. You stalking me?" I grinned to show I was joking, even though today was not a day for jokes.
But he laughed softly, even though his heart wasn't in it, and settled down on the grass by me. "Maybe, maybe not. I wanted some time with Angel."
"It doesn't seem real yet."
"I don't think it ever will. I think in ten years we'll still be turning around, expecting to see her standing in a doorway or sitting on the couch. She was too alive to die."
"I..." I had to swallow hard to keep from crying, "I wanted to give her something special. Something to remember us by."
"She won't forget us."
"I know but...so much is owed to her, Mark."
"I know what you mean. I guess I feel the same way, but damned if I know what I could ever give."
I sighed and traced patterns in the freshly turned earth, what could I give her? What did I have that she'd ever want?
A story. Our story.
"I'm going to tell you a story," I said, leaning my head on Mark's shoulder. He slid his arm around my shoulders and I smiled a little. "Once upon a time "Which could be anytime really, there was two princes and a princess. They lived in a tower in a castle in a forest surrounded by a wall covered in thorns. Each had a special power, the oldest prince had magic so he could make himself anywhere just by closing his eyes and imagining. The second prince had the magic to turn into anything he wanted, he could be a deer or a bear or a hawk or a rose or even a girl if he wanted to. And the princess, who was the prettiest girl in the world, could change the past when she wanted to. So if she said something, something horrible that she didn't mean, she could go back to the past and make it so she never said it. Or if someone died she could turn back time to when they weren't dead and have them back again."
The End
Death
There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven;
A time for giving birth,
A time for dying;
A time for planting,
A time for uprooting what has been planted.
A time for killing,
A time for healing;
A time for knocking down,
A time for building.
A time for tears
A time for laughter
A time for mourning
A time for dancing
A time for throwing stones away,
A time for gathering them;
A time for embracing,
A time to refrain from embracing.
A time for searching ,
A time for losing;
A time for keeping,
A dime for discarding.
A time for tearing,
A time for sewing;
A time to keep silent,
A time for speaking.
A time for loving
A time for hating
A time for war,
A time for peace
Ecclesiastes 1-9
SARA
It always seems a little colder after someone dies, like maybe their heat kept the planet just a fraction warmer.
I stood far away from the grave when they buried Angel. There was no priest, but that was good, because Angel had never been religious like that. A priest wouldn't have known her, anyway. He wouldn't have known what to say. Collins gave her eulogy, he quoted from the bible;
'the fool folds his arms
and eats his own flesh away.
Better one hand full of repose
Than two hands full of achievements
To chase after the wind'
That was Angel alright, she never cared about how much she got, she care about helping us. She made mistakes, we all make mistakes, but even when she left us to get well she wasn't just doing it for herself. She helped Sids too, because after she left he quit junk cold turkey. I did too, because of Harmony. But I wouldn't have been able to do it without Sids to help me. I know I wouldn't have been able to. So many times Angel saved us, and never did she ask for anything in return. She didn't want to be famous, she didn't want the world to know her name. All our Angel wanted was love. In a way Collins' quote does not ring true for Angel, she had her handful of repose, love, good deeds, but she also had bucket loads of achievements, she loved so many, she helped so many. If that's not an achievement I don't know what is.
After the funeral was over. After they'd all finished their bickering and left, I walked across the grass, stiff with frost, and sat by her grave. I wanted to do something for her, I wanted to sing or read her a poem or even give her flowers. But I hadn't thought to bring flowers or poetry and I can't sing to save my life.
"Sara?"
"You always seem to find me, Mark. You stalking me?" I grinned to show I was joking, even though today was not a day for jokes.
But he laughed softly, even though his heart wasn't in it, and settled down on the grass by me. "Maybe, maybe not. I wanted some time with Angel."
"It doesn't seem real yet."
"I don't think it ever will. I think in ten years we'll still be turning around, expecting to see her standing in a doorway or sitting on the couch. She was too alive to die."
"I..." I had to swallow hard to keep from crying, "I wanted to give her something special. Something to remember us by."
"She won't forget us."
"I know but...so much is owed to her, Mark."
"I know what you mean. I guess I feel the same way, but damned if I know what I could ever give."
I sighed and traced patterns in the freshly turned earth, what could I give her? What did I have that she'd ever want?
A story. Our story.
"I'm going to tell you a story," I said, leaning my head on Mark's shoulder. He slid his arm around my shoulders and I smiled a little. "Once upon a time "Which could be anytime really, there was two princes and a princess. They lived in a tower in a castle in a forest surrounded by a wall covered in thorns. Each had a special power, the oldest prince had magic so he could make himself anywhere just by closing his eyes and imagining. The second prince had the magic to turn into anything he wanted, he could be a deer or a bear or a hawk or a rose or even a girl if he wanted to. And the princess, who was the prettiest girl in the world, could change the past when she wanted to. So if she said something, something horrible that she didn't mean, she could go back to the past and make it so she never said it. Or if someone died she could turn back time to when they weren't dead and have them back again."
The End